


No Obligation

by SmartPeach3



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Bad date, Erik is Crushing Harder than a 12-year Old Girl, Fluff, M/M, Protective Erik
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-05
Updated: 2017-03-05
Packaged: 2018-09-28 10:20:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10092008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmartPeach3/pseuds/SmartPeach3
Summary: Charles is on a bad date. Erik is the good guy. Rescuing ensues. Pretty simple one-shot with all your favorite Cherik tropes.





	

Erik Lehnsherr walked with his mother to the curb and expertly hailed a cab.

“I don’t know why they always stop for you and drive straight past me,” Edie griped playfully.

“It’s the scary face, Mama. They don’t dare ignore me,” Erik replied as he helped her into the car.

“Oh, dear, don’t say that. It’s a handsome face!” She pinched his cheek to try to draw a blush from him, but after thirty years, Erik was immune to her attempts to embarrass him. “Are you sure you don’t want to share the cab?” Edie asked.

“No, Mama. The walk will be good for me. It’s not that far.” He leaned down to kiss his mother’s forehead, quickly slipping the driver fifty bucks. “Keep the change, and don’t let her pay you. It’s her birthday.” The driver smiled and nodded.

Edie smacked her son’s shoulder as he stood again. “You already paid for dinner!” she squawked.

“Like I said, it’s your birthday. Get home safe.” Edie waved at him as the car pulled away.

Erik turned to begin the walk to his apartment. It actually was a significant distance away, as finding an affordable place in a convenient location was basically impossible. But, the September weather was still pleasantly cool rather than cold, and he liked seeing the city at night.

As he walked past the upscale boutiques and restaurants, he silently passed judgment on their frivolous, wealthy patrons. He was approaching one of his favorite objects of ridicule, a French restaurant that offered single-bite servings at the cost of Erik’s weekly salary, when he noticed a gorgeous man leaving the establishment and was completely distracted from his contempt. The man was no older than twenty-five and a bit short, with floppy brown hair that looked unfairly adorable. Most shocking were the man’s eyes, which were blue enough to be seen in the dim evening light. 

Erik shook himself out of his ogling when another man, probably in his late forties, walked up behind Blue-Eyes and slung an arm around his waist, eliciting a charming smile. _Damn. Taken. They’re always taken._

Realizing that he had been standing frozen on the spot while cataloguing the other man’s body like a sleaze-bag, Erik chastized himself and began to walk again, about twenty steps behind the couple. Of course, he still pricked his ears to eavesdrop. He wasn’t a saint. Sadly, the first voice he heard did not come from Blue-Eyes.

“So, your place or mine?” said the older man.

Blue-Eyes leaned amicably against his date, resting his head on the man’s shoulder, but replied, “I hope you don’t mind, but I think _I’ll_ go to my place, and you should go to yours. It’s only the second date, Sebastian. We don’t need to rush.”

Feeling increasingly guilty about eavesdropping on Blue-Eyes and his date, Erik nonetheless experienced a pang of completely unwarranted – and extremely petty – jealousy. _The second date?_ If he had met Blue-Eyes a few weeks ago, the man would have been single! However, his rumination on the gross injustice of the world did not distract him from the sudden shift in the air, like the temperature had suddenly dropped five degrees.

Sebastian’s hand had lowered to curl possessively around Blue-Eyes’s hip, knuckles almost white from the tight grip. “Come on, Charles! Where’s your sense of adventure?” He leaned in to place a kiss on Charles’s jaw, but the smaller man turned his head to deflect it.

“I said not tonight, Sebastian. You can walk me to my apartment, but I’m leaving you on the doorstep. Don’t ruin the evening. I really had a lovely time.”

Sebastian stopped in his tracks, snagging Charles’s wrist and turning the smaller man to face him.

Erik stopped as well, feeling uneasy. He leaned against the façade of a long-empty cupcakery, a casualty of the ever-changing pastry fads, and pretended to check his phone so that he would go unnoticed. Walking nonchalantly past this couple was no longer an option. 

“ _I’m_ ruining the evening?!” Sebastian snarled. Charles’s eyes widened a bit in fear as he tried to pull his arm away from his hostile date. “Do you know how many strings I had to pull to get reservations to that place? Do you have any idea how much that dinner cost me?”

The look on Charles’s face flashed rapidly from fear to fury. “No, but I assume it was roughly twice as expensive as it would have been if you had let me pay for my own meal, like I offered! Let go of me!”

“Charles, let’s not make a scene.” Sebastian was whispering now, almost a growl. He curled a hand in the collar of Charles’s shirt. “I know you’re naïve, but surely you didn’t think I would do all of this and expect _nothing_ in return. Are you that accustomed to being pampered? Could you possibly be that spoiled?”

Charles spoke at full volume, refusing to cow to the older man. “Take your hands off of me and walk away, or I will scream.” 

Erik could see that the man was not bluffing, but, not really interested in seeing who would come out of this altercation victorious, he stepped out of the shadows.

“Charles?!” Erik said, attempting to sound cheerful and surprised. Hearing Erik’s voice, Sebastian stepped away from Charles, looking up sharply. Charles looked relieved, if a bit confused. “I haven’t seen you in years! Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten! I’m Erik, from – ”

Charles interrupted him, expertly feigning recognition. “Of course, from Columbia! Sebastian, Erik was a TA of mine at school. Frighteningly tough grader, if I recall correctly.”

Erik continued the lie, hoping it was convincing. “Only you would think a B- on a term paper constituted a slight on your academic prowess!” Erik chuckled. “I really thought you showed remarkable aptitude. But, I’m sorry, I must be interrupting you.” He pointed a terrifying grin at Sebastian, who looked thoroughly vexed.

“Oh, no! Sebastian and I were just parting ways. Why don’t you walk me to my apartment? I live just a few blocks down. We could catch up. And, Sebastian? Thank you for the lovely night,” Charles said, laying on the sarcasm, “but I think we’re rather mismatched for each other. Don’t you agree? So, feel free to lose my phone number.”

Erik would later think that he might have fallen in love the moment Charles turned on his heel and left Sebastian standing on the street, mouth agape.

Erik quickened his step to match pace with Charles. “That little charade was fun, but if you want to call the cops on that creep, we still can.”

Charles smiled. “No, but I think I’ll start spreading nasty rumors about him to our social circle. Far more damaging.”

“You’re devious. Remind me not to upset you.”

“Well, you are off to a very good start. Before you showed up, I seriously thought I was going to need to use my pepper spray and a well-placed knee to Sebastian’s groin.”

“I would have paid to see that.” They both laughed.

They walked companionably into the most gentrified part of the city before Charles finally stopped. “This is my building. Pardon me if I’m off base, but, would you like to go out sometime for coffee? Well, you could drink coffee, and I would drink tea, but you get the picture.” Charles grinned, a bit sheepish. The babbling was unbearably cute.

“I would love to, but we don't have to. Just so you know, I would have scared off your asshole date even if I didn’t think you were the best-looking man I’d seen in years. You don’t need to feel like you owe me.”

Charles blushed and replied, “Exactly.” 

Erik left with Charles’s number in his phone, a smile plastered on his face, and the ghost of Charles’s lips still warm on his cheek.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I don't know how this fic turned into an essay on consent and power dynamics, but I hope you enjoyed. ;)


End file.
